1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for automatically producing a film scroll which comprises a film wound around a spool.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photosensitive films are processed and packaged by performing various processes which include cutting off a film of fixed length, winding the film of fixed length around a spool to produce a film scroll, inserting the film scroll into a cartridge, and loading the cartridge housing the film scroll into a case.
Heretofore, there have been proposed methods and apparatus for producing film scrolls by winding films of fixed length around spools on an intermittently rotatable index table which has a plurality of stations thereon for performing respective allotted tasks to process and assemble components into film scrolls. One example of such a method and apparatus for producing a film scroll is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2777668.
According to the disclosed method and apparatus, as shown in FIG. 16 of the accompanying drawings, a plurality of, e.g., six, spool chucks 2 are disposed at equal angular intervals on a turntable 1 which is intermittently rotatable in the direction indicated by the arrow. The turntable 1 has a first station (I) in which a spool 3 is supplied to one of the spool chucks 2, a second station (II) in which the spool 3 is rotated to allow a pawl 4 into engagement with the spool 3 thereby to orient or phase a slit 5 in the spool 3, a third station (III) in which the leading end of a film F0 is inserted along an insertion guide 6 into the slit 5 in the spool 3, a fourth station (IV) in which the film F0 is wound around the spool 3, producing a film scroll 7, a fifth station (V) in which the film scroll 7 is inspected for its presence or absence, and a sixth station (VI) in which the film scroll 7 is retrieved.
When the turntable 1 is intermittently rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow, the spool chucks 2 are successively moved to the first through sixth stations (I) through (VI) where respective allotted tasks are performed.
On the turntable 1, the slit 5 in the spool 3 is phased in the second station (II) and the slit 5 is not phased, but the leading end of the film F0 is inserted into the slit 5 in the third station (III).
After the slit 5 in the spool 3 is phased in the second station (II), the turntable 1 is turned 60xc2x0, for example, in the direction indicated by the arrow, to bring the spool 3 into the third station (III). Since the turntable 1 is abruptly accelerated and decelerated in the second and third stations (II), (III), the spool 3 tends to be positionally shifted under external forces applied thereto, changing its angular position, i.e., shifting the slit 5 out of phase.
Specifically, since the spools 3 are held in the respective spool chucks 2 merely under frictional forces, it is difficult to keep the spools 3 fixed against movement when the turntable 1 is rotated at a high speed. In the third station (III), therefore, the spool 3 is liable to be turned out of phase, and the film F0 cannot stably be inserted into the slit 5. If the slit 5 is shifted out of phase by xc2x11xc2x0 or more, for example, then the film F0 cannot be inserted into the slit 5 in the third station (III). The conventional arrangement shown in FIG. 16 is thus disadvantageous in that films F0 may not successively be wound around respective spools 3, and hence the overall process of producing film scrolls 7 may not be carried out efficiently.
It is therefore a main object of the present invention to provide a method of and an apparatus for producing a film scroll highly efficiently by aligning a spool accurately with an angular position for film insertion.
The present invention has a plurality of intermittently movable spool chucks and moves each of the spool chucks successively through a spool installing station for installing a spool on the spool chuck, a film inserting station for inserting and engaging the leading end of a film in the spool, a film winding station for winding the film around the spool, and a film scroll removing station for removing a film scroll, which comprises the film wound around the spool, from the spool chuck.
Prior to the film inserting station, the spool is set to an attitude in a predetermined angular range such that an engaging slot of the spool corresponds to an attitude thereof in the film inserting station, and a spool phasing means for phasing the spool reliably performs its action, i.e., the spool is angularly moved into a final position in the film inserting station. When the spool is moved to the film inserting station, the engaging slot thereof is angularly spaced by a predetermined angle for preventing film insertion in one direction from an angular position for film insertion. For example, the film insertion end of the engaging slot is angularly spaced downwardly by 3xc2x0 to 45xc2x0, more preferably 5xc2x0 to 30 xc2x0 from the angular position for film insertion.
In the film inserting station, before the leading end of the film is inserted into the engaging slot, the spool is phased to align the engaging slot with the angular position for film insertion.
Since the engaging slot of the spool is phased in the film inserting station, the spool is free from phase misalignments which would otherwise occur if the spool were phased in a previous step and then moved to the film inserting station for insertion of the film. In the film inserting station, therefore, the spool is accurately aligned with the angular position for film insertion for reliable insertion of the film into the engaging slot, so that film scrolls can be produced efficiently and successively.
After the engaging slot of the spool is set to the attitude in the predetermined angular range prior to the film inserting station, the engaging slot is phased in the film inserting station. Therefore, the spool can be phased efficiently and reliably, and the cycle time of operation of the apparatus is effectively prevented from being increased.
In the film inserting station, first and second guides grip the spool to align the engaging slot with the angular position for film insertion, and a film guide passage is defined which extends continuously from the first and second guides to the engaging slot. There is no undue gap created between the first and second guides, and it is possible to insert the leading end of the film which may be largely curled reliably into the engaging slot. The stability with which to insert the leading end of the film into the engaging slot is effectively increased.
After the first guide is moved to the spool, the second guide is angularly moved from a vertical attitude to a horizontal attitude. The first and second guides which are combined with each other turn the spool to align the engaging slot with the angular position for film insertion, and provide the film guide passage. Therefore, the spool can be phased and the film guide passage can be formed efficiently with a simple process and arrangement.
An engaging slot phasing mechanism comprises a first drive mechanism for moving the first guide horizontally to the spool to move a tip end of the first guide closely to the spool, and a second drive mechanism for angularly moving the second guide from a vertical attitude to a horizontal attitude until a tip end of the second guide abuts on the spool, thereby to cause the first and second guides to align the engaging slot with the angular position for film insertion. Consequently, the engaging slot can easily and reliably be aligned with the angular position for film insertion by the first and second guides.
The first and second guides have on their tip ends respective first and second steps facing each other. The first and second steps grip the spool therebetween. Thus, it is possible to form reliably the film guide passage which extends continuously from the first and second guides to the engaging slot.
The first and second steps have their respective depths which are equal to or greater than the thicknesses of walls of the spool which define the engaging slot therebetween. The width of the gap defined between the first and second guides is smaller than the width of the engaging slot. When the leading end of the film is transferred from the first and second guides to the engaging slot, the leading end is not caught by the walls of the spool, but can smoothly and reliably be inserted into the engaging slot.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.